What is so special about the Nissan Xterra sport-utility vehicle? With dozens of SUVs on the market, why was the 2006 Xterra named last fall as Motor Trend magazine’s SUV of the Year, becoming the first repeat winner of the 8-year-old award?
My take is this: It’s a true SUV.
And by that I mean the Xterra is a sport-ute designed to dig into the mud off-road and roll over fallen logs, shallow streams and boulders of all sizes.
Isn’t that what SUVs are truly meant to do when not passing time on smooth highway surfaces? Yes, according to Motor Trend’s hard-driving SUV testers and yours truly. For rugged duty off the paved path, Xterra looks the part. It has a high-riding, bold front-grille presence that might well stare down a grizzly bear on the trail. Such intimidating ambience is not part of the visual package in, say, a Toyota RAV4.
The Xterra’s flared fenders, sturdy side steps and prominent roof rack (with a nifty latchable lid built in) all but scream off-road warrior.
If you really want to get away from it all — with plenty of gear packed in the back or atop the vehicle — and you don’t mind some rolling and bumping to reach that nobody-around-for-miles outdoor spot, it’d be hard to find a better vehicle than the Xterra.
That’s especially true with the tested 2006 SE-V6 4X4, the top-of-the-line among eight Xterra trim levels. Yet for all its features, the starting price of $27,650 is comparatively reasonable.
Off-road, the SE-V6 with four-wheel-drive and a truck-based platform (fully boxed, all-steel ladder frame) is a trail-tamer par excellence. I could almost feel the Xterra mocking me on our mild off-road ramble… “C’mon! Is that all you got?”
Yes, it is. A mix of behind-the-wheel cowardice and a major reluctance to put dents in a nearly $30,000 Xterra tester kept me off the hard-core off-road trails. But based on my experience, the Xterra would have eaten those up with equal aplomb.
On the pavement, the ride was not what I’d call silky smooth, but certainly smooth enough to make driver and passengers comfortable. The 4-liter, dual-overhead-cam V-6 engine with 265 horsepower and 284 foot-pounds of torque was responsive in all conditions. It was particularly gutsy at higher revs, when asked for some extra juice to pass other vehicles.
Nailing the accelerator for near-maximum power can be a noisy experience, so you might need to continue conversations with back-seat passengers after you complete your pass.
For all its macho exterior presence, the tested Xterra was downright soft and luxurious inside.
Standard interior features included a 380-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system (matched to a six-disc CD changer, nine speakers and MP3 capability), power windows/doors/exterior mirrors, leather-wrapped steering wheel, under-floor cargo storage area, dual cupholders front and rear, overhead sunglasses holder, titanium-accented gauge trim and an eight-way power driver’s seat with lumbar adjusters.
Roughing it never felt so good.
Extras on the tester included XM Satellite Radio ($350), body side molding ($110), carpeted floor mats ($110) and a supplemental air bag package that included roof-mounted air bags for protection in side impacts or rollovers and an extra front seat-mounted, side-impact air bag ($700).
That extra bit of safety was on top of a pretty good standard safety package — dual-stage front air bags, active head restraints, front/rear crumple zones and pipe-style steel beams in the side doors.
With seats folded, Xterra’s cargo space is a healthy 65.7 cubic feet. For further convenience, cushions in the 60/40-split rear seating area can be removed.
Rear seats sit a little higher than those in front, something Nissan calls “rear stadium seating,” but the effect is barely noticeable. Ditto on the raised roofline to accompany the higher-riding rear seats. A cargo net and a first aid kit also were part of the package in the tested Xterra.
Gas mileage is a not-so-hot 16 miles per gallon in the city and 21 mpg on the open road.
Bumper to bumper, the Xterra is worthy of its awards. It covers all the bases.
If you’re willing to sacrifice a little highway smoothness in order to tackle some dicey off-road terrain, Xterra is a likely vehicle choice. But if your idea of off-road is the drive-through at Dairy Queen, you might want to look at something different.
NISSAN XTERRA AT A GLANCE
Make/model: 2006 Nissan Xterra SE-V6 4X4
Vehicle type: Five-passenger, four-door, four-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle
Base price: $27,650 (as tested, $29,525)
Engine: 4-liter V-6 with 265 horsepower at 5,600 revolutions per minute and 284 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm
EPA fuel economy: 16 miles per gallon city; 21 mpg highway
Transmission: Five-speed automatic with overdrive and special features
Steering: Power-assisted rack and pinion with speed-sensitive feature
Brakes: Power-assisted, vented discs on front and rear (with anti-lock and other braking-enhancement features)
Suspension: Independent, double-wishbone on front; rigid leaf on rear
Fuel tank: 21.1 gallons
Passenger volume: 99.8 cubic feet
Maximum cargo volume: 65.7 cubic feet
Curb weight: 4,402 pounds
Track: 61.8 inches on front and rear
Height: 74.9 inches
Length: 178.7 inches
Wheelbase: 106.3 inches
Width: 72.8 inches
Towing capacity: 5,000 pounds
Tires: P265/65R17 all-season/multi-surface radials
Final assembly point: Smyrna, Tenn.
About the writer:
The Bee’s Mark Glover can be reached at (916) 321-1184 or mglover@sacbee.com.
